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WITandWISDOM(tm) - January 13, 2003 ISSN 1538-8794 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: The greatest measure of a man is not his achievements. Rather, it is the adversity he overcomes to achieve nonetheless. - Omar N. Bradley Source: Early Sunday Funnies and Thoughts ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: Some Broccoli! By Jim Rawdon When we bought our first house, I rototilled a plot and planted a garden. Saturday morning at the farmers' market, I bought various vegetable sets including broccoli, which we really like. After I placed the vegetables in rows in the ground, I had one broccoli plant left. I put it in at the back of the plot. My garden thrived except for that broccoli at the back. It produced nothing except leaves that curled and wrinkled like a sick plant. Why? Maybe it needs more fertilizer, water or spray for pests, I thought. But nothing helped. Then it occurred to me: Perhaps I had it backward. Am I watering fertilizing and spraying too much? So one-by-one I quit watering, fertilizing, weeding and applying pesticides. But the broccoli didn't improve, so I gave up. I had lots else to do - work, kids, chores. When summer ended, like a good gardener I pulled up dried-up okra stalks and tomato vines. When I'd worked my way to the back of the garden, I saw that broccoli - covered with Brussels sprouts! Somehow at the farmers' market a Brussels sprout plant got mixed in with the broccoli set. All summer long I'd thought something was wrong with the plant at the back of the garden. But those leaves wrinkled and rolled up because that's what Brussels sprouts do. I'd done everything trying to stop the plant from becoming what it was - Brussels sprouts. I tried to do what only God can do, change its basic nature. Remembering that "broccoli" makes me wonder: Do I ever make wrong assumption about people or circumstances? Do I ever try to change individuals or situations from what God intended, instead of trying to be "an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master" (2 Timothy 2:21)? Do I do good thing when what's needed is the right thing? - Jim Rawdon started gardening 50 years ago, helping his grandfather. He is a pastor retired on disability following a cycling accident, he lives and writes in Kansas City, Kansas. Submitted by Dorie Kelly ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: MISCELLANEOUS LAWS Perkin's postulate: The bigger they are, the harder they hit. First Law of Laboratory Work: Hot glass looks exactly the same as cold glass. Gold's Law: If the shoe fits, it's ugly. Lewis' Law: People will buy anything that's one to a customer. Allen's Law: Almost anything is easier to get into than out of. If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, maybe you just don't understand the situation. Thoreau's Law: If you see a man approaching you with the obvious intention of doing you good, you should run for your life. Source: Kitty's Daily Mews, Copyright (c) 1997-2002 All rights reserved worldwide, http://www.katscratch.com/ ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: Two cows were reading the ad on the side of a passing milk truck: Pasteurized, Homogenized, Standardized - Vitamin A Added. One looked at the other and said, "Make's you feel rather inadequate, doesn't it?" Source: Monday Fodder mailto:dgaufaaa@iohk.com?subject=Subscribe_Monday_Fodder ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: 111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321 |